Share this content:

Nelli Matula has been working since a very young age. In upper secondary school, Matula got her first professional role in show-business when she was cast to one of the main roles in the musical Mary Poppins at Helsinki City Theatre. After finishing Kallio upper secondary school, Matula had a gap year, during which she completed a vocational qualification in confectionery, which normally takes 2–3 years to complete. During her studies, Matula decided to send a demo and open application to Rähinä Records and was invited to an interview, which led to a recording contract in 2016. In the same year, Matula graduated from the Pop-Jazz Conservatory in Helsinki.

Matula’s second single, Lemmikki, exploded into huge popularity. In 2018, Matula performed in the newcomers’ medley at the Emma Gala (Finnish Grammy Awards). Her success continued with the release of the debut album Jumalatar in 2019. The album was nominated for the Pop of the Year award at the Emma Gala. In 2021, Matula joined Universal Music Finland, and her second album Kiltti tyttö was released the following year.

Show means the world to Nelli Matula, and it was the show element that made Matula apply for UMK.

“My dream is to become so big as an artist that I can perform at arenas. This is a good place to start, because there’s no bigger show than UMK in this country,” Matula says. 

The UMK song Hitaammin hautaan is meaningful to Matula, as it describes details from her personal life. The song is a reflection of her desire to change the direction of her life and find new meanings.

UMK expert jury: “Nelli Matula’s Hitaammin hautaan is a huge song with a message that will surely touch hearts in today’s busy world. The song is full of catchy melodies right from the intro, and the lyrics, composition and production keep the audience on board from start to finish. Nelli Matula is a highly talented singer whose beautiful voice shines at the climax of the song. The personal background of the song gives it an extra emotional charge. It sounds like a major Finnish radio hit.”